Mark July 19, 2019, in your calendars! Disney revealed today that Indiana Jones 5 will bring Harrison Ford back, along with director Steven Speilberg at the helm. An excerpt from the announcement below:
“‘Indiana Jones is one of the greatest heroes in cinematic history, and we can’t wait to bring him back to the screen in 2019,’ said Disney chairman Alan Horn. ‘It’s rare to have such a perfect combination of director, producers, actor and role, and we couldn’t be more excited to embark on this adventure with Harrison and Steven.'”
At one point, we saw rumors circling on a reboot for Indy starring Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World) but they were laid to rest in late 2015. Reactions to the news of Ford returning are ranging from pleasant surprise, cautious optimism, or in some cases flat-out grumbling. The latest entry in the series, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) has a notorious reputation for being one of the most disappointing comebacks in recent memory. The reason why? because:
Couldn’t have said it better myself
Ok, so aliens weren’t the only reason. The film struggled with some strange creative choices, including one to have Indy survive a nuclear blast by hiding in a fridge, and another one to nearly committing the grave mistake of passing the torch on to Shia LaBeouf.
An over-indulgence of CGI has also been cited as a source of frustration for many viewers, considering the original trilogy relied mainly on practical effects. Steven Speilberg has spent the past few years attempting to distance himself from the aliens, claiming that he was opposed to the idea but George Lucas insisted on it (because I guess George Lucas needed more experience in making movies with aliens in them?). Speilberg did take the credit for nuking the fridge, however.
So far it seems likely that George Lucas will not be involved in this production anymore, just like he isn’t involved with Star Wars. Kathleen Kennedy, who is now president of Lucasfilm, and Frank Marshall have both been involved with Indy since the beginning and will produce the new film. Some are expecting that the new Indiana Jones film will look something like the image below, but I wouldn’t be so sure. There is something that I haven’t seen many people discussing yet…
When The Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) was released, it was immediately adored by audiences. The follow-up, The Temple of Doom (1984) was not embraced with as much enthusiasm as its predecessor. Though the film does have its share of fans (myself included) it’s generally viewed as one of the weaker entries in the series. Next, comes The Last Crusade (1989) which follows a similar formula to Raiders, and brings the series back to form. Crusade is generally respected by most fans, who view it as being closer to Raiders in terms of quality.
And then there’s The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, who also has its share of fans, but is mostly disliked by audiences. I’m sensing a pattern here…and if this pattern continues, does it mean that Indiana Jones 5 is more likely to match Raiders and Crusade as opposed to Temple and Skull in terms of quality? just some food for thought.
There isn’t a title in the works just yet, but Harrison Ford will be a whopping 75 years old while filming the movie. Possible titles may include Indiana Jones and the Fountain of Youth, Indiana Jones and the pesky whippersnappers on the Lawn, or Indiana Jones and the adventures at hip replacement therapy.
All joking aside, Harrison Ford really is my most favorite actor, and having played two of my most prominent childhood heroes has a lot to do with that. After watching him reprise one of those heroes in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, I have absolutely no doubt that he’s got just one more fedora-clad adventure left in him.
And if there’s one hero who deserves to go down in a blaze of glory, gunfire and whips crackin’ it’s Indiana Jones. And who better to handle it than Harrison Ford and Steven Speilberg?
By Michael Gonzalez.